It's your choice

I know that I shouldn't start a rant with an apology but i'm going to anyways - sorry, but i found my soapbox.The time has come for humanity to make a choice. Do we cherish peace and freedom more than our various institutions of religion? Is our natural state one of civility; one in which we freely choose to honor and respect our neighbors; a state of being in which curiosity, tolerance, forgiveness, and belief are able to coexist? Or, is the nature of humanity one in which we are eternally lost in semi-darkness, groping for answers in the dim light cast off by flickering flames, and finding truth in the dancing and shifting shadows that play across the walls and floors of the cave in which we refuse to leave? Truths of perception whose veracity is proclaimed as self-evident in the amount of proselytizing and violence it inspires amongst humanity? Is this all we are?

Surely we can point to theological origins to our civilizations; yet, just as assuredly, we can see where the demands of these dogmas permit no room for challengers. Thus, a growing society comes into contact with a foreign theology with the inevitable: warfare to establish theocratic supremacy. There is not room for two cosmic truths in the global theocratic empire. So began the struggle of civilization to escape the constraints of theocracy. A struggle that has brought us through monarchies, oligarchies, and autocracies to the formation of free and democratic representative governments. How many lives were lost along this cruel and difficult path? How many brave deeds were accomplished to push us just one centimeter closer to a free humanity? Are these people, these deeds, destined to crumble and be rewritten by religious zealots as the acts of heretics hell bent on leading humanity astray? This is the challenge we face today.

We, the free-thinkers of humanity, are at a crossroads and we must choose our path correctly for if we set our sails with the winds of popular political trends we will quickly glide away from all that we cherish and respect. Sailing will begin smoothly - less worries, less fear, and less confusion. But as we progress into open waters we will find ourselves caught up in violent storms and battling turbulent currents that will tear us apart, render our vessels useless, and set us adrift without hope. Without hope, for we will be not in uncharted waters, but back in the familiar wastelands dominated by divine laws complete with intolerance, ludicrous heirarchies, and cruel punishments. Knowledge, curiosity, and art will be stymied; free expression will become a thing of the past. Is this our destiny?

I believe that the theocratic state is neither human nature nor human destiny. I believe that humans are inquisitive, abstract thinkers capable of unraveling the mysteries of the universe. We are capable of determining our own future. This is the challenge. And, surely, if there is a God this was its intention: one species living in peace and using the most magnificent creation in the entire known universe to chart a course that ensures the survival of humanity: the human brain. Yes, now is the time to choose: enlightenment or sliding back to the beginnings. Do not wait until violence or capitulation are your only choices. Think! Be Aware of the political and religious forces at work in the world around you! Do not allow a world of violence and intolerance to be the legacy we leave to our children, the future of humanity.

SCUBA certification

Well, Amy and I both passed our swimming test. (**sigh of relief**) We can now move forward with the underwater breathing bit. I'm totally stoked! A couple of friends are doing it with us, I also have two buddies at work that are in another class. And, I just talked to one of my oldest and dearest friends and it turns out that Sloan and his wife are also certified. Man, we're going to have some real fun! I can't wait! I'm already planning a diving trip to Belize for the fall - it's going to be awsome. After I get this diving thing down I'm going to move on to sailing. I have sailed before but it was a long time ago. Anyhow, I feel confident that I'll be able to do that too. Now I just have to get my business flying so I can become a full time treasure hunter/amateur oceanographer. I'll probably need to learn how to fly a helicopter. I'm envisioning the whole Steve Zissou scene - travelling the globe on a boat, rescuing people, fighting pirates, filming rare species of aquatic life, and finding treasure. I know it sounds silly but why not go for it? You have to admit that it sounds fun :)

feeling strange

Have you ever had a really awkward time someplace? I mean like really awkward. The type of awkward that makes you wish you would cease existing? Imagine being on some really strong but really bad acid and you're sitting in an all white posh mansion. You're in the middle of Washington D.C. and on the walls are gold records because the owner of the house is a recording studio executive. You’re surrounded by a lot of phony rich kids; you don’t know anyone except an acquaintance and a friend of the acquaintance. Your stomach is churning from all the strychnine in the bad acid and you feel like you’re about to shit in your pants. All you can think about is how bad you need to use the bathroom but you can’t because you know it’s going to be some sort of crazy loud, stinky scene that's going to embarrass the hell out of you and ruin the party. So you just sit on the posh white couch staring at all of these fake strangers with whom you have nothing in common and try to look cool while beads of sweat start rolling down your forehead because you’ve been clenching your ass cheeks for hours. Now people really are looking at you and wondering if you're some sort of psychotic. You seem them looking but you're unable to communicate. You're on the verge of a panic attack because you think everyone can read your mind so you try to look around nonchalant-like but everything has some sort of weird green haze over it. You keep thinking that if you were home you'd get up and go for a long walk; maybe go over to some cool lover's house and just chill, but you can't go because you're a thousand miles away. Ever felt like this, like you don't belong here? This is pretty much every day for me - except for the upset stomach and green haze parts.

alone

i feel alone. at work, i am alone. i am not a suburbanite software developer. i am not a 9 to 5, golfing, video game playing, resort hopping, corporate art loving, conservative dubya clinging, unimaginative, beer drinking, pseudo hippie, dave matthews listening, tobacco chewing, deer hunting, chauvanistic, xenophobic, frightened, holier than thou, greedy, corporate suburbanite. why? why is it this way? and it's everywhere. even our hospitals are creepy corporate places where good doctors with creative minds are relegated to staff positions while the crud floats to the top. and from the top they establish a culture that awards only the most simple minded. it can't be money. having money doesn't explain all of the faults. regardless, i feel alone. i'm surrounded by these people and i can't breathe. i want to do something significant - something that makes a difference. i really don't care if this corporation or any other "initech" corporation ever makes another penny - none of it is going to help humanity. f*ck it, i'm going for a jog on the treadmill. at least we have a gym at this gig.

Plan a clan and survive

After much observation, reading, and thought, I've come to the conclusion that there really is only one natural human society: the extended family, or clan. It is organic, growing naturally. In the west we have ridiculed and abandoned this natural state of organization. This is why the west will fail. Our civilization, however initially well-intentioned, has a singular purpose: the accumulation and subsequent protection of wealth of the individual. We have abandoned the idea of collective wealth. Corporations actively seek to usurp the role of family and clan - to fill the natural gap. The corporation has become the collective; yet, unlike family and friends, the corporation has no sense of loyalty greater than its own personal wealth. The corporation, by law, is an individual, therefore, as members of the corporate collective we are expendable - there is no pleasant way to otherwise explain it. There is no value to be gained from age, hence, early retirement and vanishing pensions. For the corporation a child or non-working spouse is a liability, not the future of the collective. The corporate collective is inorganic; it is a cold legal machine whose only purpose is accumulation of personal wealth. The clan, on the other hand, is a collective with purpose greater than self. The clan benefits from the wisdom of its aged members and knows that it's future is in the hands of its mothers and children. The health of its members is the health of the clan. Therefore, the larger the clan the better.

So, after realizing this I have decided that my main goal in life is to strengthen and grow my own clan. I will use the existing system to generate "personal" wealth and then redistribute it through my clan. The collective family will then use the money to generate more. Hopefully, with time we will be able to abandon national identities and move freely around the globe knowing that our only loyalties are to the family collective. You know, as I write this I realize that the most successful organizations of our time are modeled such: various ethnic mafias. No national ties, no political ties, no religious ties, only the family. This may seem cynical to some of you, but it is the truth and I advise all of you to do the same. There will be more to come on this later.

I do not suck

I'm really looking forward to starting SCUBA certification courses next week. I talked with David and Steve, who are currently taking the courses, and they seem really excited. This is the first step in becoming a treasure hunter. That's right, treasure hunter. You see, I've laid down the course for the development of Vaboodle - my gambling game, and it is going to move a lot faster than my dev partner was hoping. You know, there comes a time when you have to move out of the planning stages and into the practical stage of ACTUALLY DOING IT! So, after I've made my fortune I am going to buy a boat, much like in "Life Aquatic", and set about looking for treasure. I figure there will be lots of diving involved so I'm getting certified. Also, I hope to get my license to fly a helicopter. Seriously, I don't know why more people don't become treasure hunters - could there possibly be a better way to pass the time? If you know of any lost treasure please feel free to contact me. Also, if you would like to be considered for a position on the crew of the S.S.Vaboodle, please get in touch and let me know your special skill and/or level of dedication to living a surreal life.

NOTICE: If you would like to test Vaboodle please contact me. I will be in test mode in a few weeks.